Skinny Lattes and Silly Sticks
by LilMisfit5290
Summary: For Shockey13's Fara/Max prompt. One-shot of "Fax" fluffiness. Take as you will. :)


My piece for **Shockey13's** Fara/Max prompt. Inspired by an article I just read about the busiest Starbucks in the country being the one located at Langley. This all came out in one go this morning. Take as you will. :)

* * *

He'd been waiting for what felt like a day and a half to get coffees for the team working upstairs. Carrie and Saul had assigned them to pore over old surveillance footage and from the amounts of it, they would all be working late into the night.

The Starbucks was located in the basement, but given the massive line, Max knew he could have left Langley and come back by now with coffees from the Tim Hortons a few miles away.

It had been his original plan, until Carrie insisted on having a Starbucks exclusive, grande soy vanilla latte with triple foam, double whip and an extra shot. After hearing her order everyone in the boardroom had jumped on the bandwagon, and left Max with a laundry list of expensive coffee drinks to buy.

He didn't mind stretching his legs and not having to leave the building. What he did mind was Quinn intercepting him in the stairwell and insisting that Carrie's drink be caffeine free. When Max went to protest, knowing he'd be risking her wrath if her drink wasn't to her exact specifications, one look from the sniper shut him up.

Now not only was he stuck standing and waiting, but when he was through standing and waiting he'd have to go upstairs, stand in front of Carrie with an improper drink in his hand and get yelled at. The prospect made him want to sit in one of the comfy corner arm chairs and not get up.

Hearing someone come up behind him in line, he felt a tap on the shoulder that made him jump, turn around.

"What the...oh, hi."

"Hi.", Fara lightly laughed. "I apologize, I did not mean to startle you."

"No, you...you didn't.", Max shrugged, pushing his glasses more up on his nose before looking down at the list in his hand, frowning.

"So, did you want something different or something? Did I screw it up? Fucking Virgil. When I asked him to take the orders down he probably went ahead and changed them to screw with me. I-"

"I'm sure that the orders are fine.", Fara reassured. "And no, I did not need mine changed. But I thought you would need some help bringing ten drinks back upstairs. Unless you have grown a third arm.", she teased as Max shrugged.

"No. The robot one I'm working on's still in testing stages so..."

"What?"

"Nothing...just a joke. A stupid one, I..."

Embarrassed he looked down, unfolded the list again with sweaty, trembling hands.

"So Saul said he wanted just a cup of dark roast. And Brennan asked for a Machiatto and a chocolate cake pop. I-"

"Cake pop? What is a cake pop?", Fara asked as they shuffled forward in line.

"It's like a small iced ball of cake on a stick. See, they're right there in the display.", Max pointed as she scoffed.

"That? You pay..." Squinting to see the price she snorted in disbelief. "You would pay that much for something that small?! Why not pay that amount for a whole slice of cake?" she asked, baffled as Max shrugged.

"I don't know why! You're the financial analyst, not me."

"It does not take an understanding of finance to see the insanity of paying extra for a silly, pointless stick!"

"Actually, it does have a point. It's stuck into the base of the cake ball there, see?"

Met with a look he gulped. "Sorry.", he said as she rolled her eyes, fought the urge to smile.

"I forgot to tell you, Carrie requested a croissant in addition to her coffee."

"Great.", Max groaned. "Did Quinn corner you and tell you it had to be chocolate and filling free?", he muttered as Fara frowned.

"Peter did not care about the croissant. Why...?"

"It's nothing. Forget it.", Max sighed before the barista called them over, asked for their orders.

Rattling them off he reached the end of the list and squinted, having trouble deciphering Virgil's handwriting.

"Sir, please. There is a line behind-"

"I know, ma'am. I...I know."

"Max! Hurry please!", Fara hissed, looking over her shoulder at the crowd that was starting to get restless.

"Okay, and she'll have a cin...no, forget that. A _skinny_, latte with extra foam and-"

Looking up from the sheet with the orders, he saw the barista and woman working at the next register glaring at him and then turned, realized Fara was looking down and away from him, arms crossed and biting her lip.

"What the...! What did I-"

"You are really something, you know that?", the cashier spat.

"What?! What did I do? I just ordered-"

"Honey, you just forget about him. Order whatever drink you like. Who cares about the calories.", the barista told Fara before shooting Max a glare.

"Trust me, you're beautiful. Regardless what he says."

"Wait what are you, no! God, I never said she wasn't beautiful!", he yelled at the cashier before looking to his right. Seeing Fara had walked off, after paying for the order he went over to the pick up counter, saw her standing by one of the corner tables.

Once grabbing the carry trays, setting them down on the table he took one drink out, offered it to her.

"Hey, I brought you your drink."

"I am not thirsty.", she said softly but then after a moment, looked up to see it. Instead of a lid, it was topped a huge swirl of whipped cream with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on it.

"I made sure it was as non-skinny as I could get it. And even though Virgil's writing couldn't tell me what you liked, I figured it out."

Taking it from him, taking a small sip she brightly smiled, met his gaze. "How did-"

"You have that cinnamon scented candle on your desk. Each time I walk past your cubicle you have it lit. If you like smelling something that much all day, I figured you wouldn't mind tasting it in your coffee."

"You, figured right.", Fara smiled, starting to blush.

"I'm sorry I screwed up. The woman back there was wrong. I...I do think you-"

Trailing off, embarrassed and nervous and sweating even though his coffee was iced, Max swallowed hard, turned back to the table and reached into the small bag with the food.

"You think I what, Max?"

"I think you can drink or eat whatever you want."

Handing a wrapped slice of pound cake to her, his head bowed, when she unwrapped it, laughed, he glanced up.

"No pointless sticks.", she remarked.

"Yeah. No pointless sticks. Paying for the whole piece for you just seemed.."

Shaking her head Fara moved closer, kissed Max gently on the cheek before grabbing the bag, one of the carry trays.

"Come. You should not have to deal with Carrie's wrath alone.", she said as Max nodded. A relieved smile on his face as he followed her out.


End file.
